With its “Move & Save” subscription, Colruyt Group bridges the gap between fitness clubs and supermarkets

Colruyt Group is launching Move & Save, a subscription plan that, for the first time, systematically links Jims fitness clubs and Colruyt supermarkets. This marks a significant step for the “food & health retailer.”

Work out to get a discount on fruits and vegetables

“We’re launching a new subscription plan aimed at families, called ‘Move & Save.’ The idea is simple: for 14.99 euros a week, a family of up to three people can work out at Jims as often as they like,” says Pieterjan Nuitten, who, after four and a half years at the helm of the Jims fitness chain, is now responsible for Collect & Go, Xtra, and the retail media unit at the retail group.

“If the family works out at least three times a week, they’ll get 5 euros back as Xtra store credit for fruits and vegetables. So the more you exercise, the cheaper your fruits and vegetables become. On an annual basis, you can save up to 260 euros this way.” The three workouts can be spread out however the family chooses. Once by Mom, twice by the son, or three times by the same person—the result is the same. The credit is added to the Xtra account.

Focusing on the combination of nutrition and exercise

With this, Colruyt Group is launching its first consumer offer that links its food business with its health division. It’s an important step in the company’s evolution from a food retailer to a food & health retailer.

“If we want to improve people’s health, we need to focus on the combination of nutrition and exercise. If you want to run a marathon but aren’t eating enough carbohydrates, you won’t make it to the finish line. If you want to lose weight and exercise four times a week but keep eating fast food, you probably won’t succeed,” said Nuitten. The need is real: Sciensano figures show that barely 7% of adults eat enough vegetables and only 19% of young people get enough exercise.

Great potential for recruiting new customers

Colruyt Group sees great potential in Move & Save for recruiting new customers for both brands. “With Xtra, we have 85% market penetration, but it’s precisely that 15% we’re not reaching today—the people who work out at Jims.” The retailer hopes this subscription will help it reach the young, urban target audience that has traditionally been a challenge for the Colruyt formula. Conversely, Jims can also use this to appeal to a new target group: families, who often have less time to exercise and are now being encouraged to adopt a healthy routine. A win-win-win, then, for Colruyt, Jims, and Xtra.

The retailer is launching the concept under the “Colruyt Lowest Prices” banner, but since the refund is processed through Xtra, shoppers can also use the credit at Okay, Spar, Bio-Planet, or Collect & Go. “This is a first step toward eventually involving our entire ecosystem.” That ecosystem is now mature, says Nuitten. “Three years ago, we had 27 Jims clubs; now we have 92. There are more than 200 Colruyt stores located within a ten-minute drive of a Jims. Social trends surrounding health are also clear. This concept arose from customer feedback: customers tell us they could use some help in their quest for a healthy lifestyle.”

Brands that complement each other

“Our dream is actually this: come work out at Jims, get a workout plan and a meal plan, and then use that hour to have Collect & Go prepare your groceries for pickup after your workout. Previously, we’d already linked nutritional advice from Jims to customized recipes that we connected to Collect & Go, where we saw a high conversion rate. We know there’s a demand for combining nutrition and health.”

The essence is that the various brands within the group reinforce one another. Through the group’s ecosystem, Colruyt Lowest Prices can help its customers in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. This opens up opportunities to link other brands and activities as well, such as those from Newpharma or Yoboo.

Fitness to support health

The ambitions are high, says Nuitten. This isn’t a test, but rather an important piece of the puzzle in the plan to become a food & health retailer. On Tuesday, the retailer will launch the initiative with an activation at two Colruyt parking lots—in the morning in Ghent and in the afternoon in Nivelles. “We’re setting up a mini-gym there. Customers will be shown three easy exercises and then receive a Move & Save cooler bag filled with five euros’ worth of fruits and vegetables.”

Meanwhile, Jims is evolving “from fitness to healthness”: fitness that supports health. For example, the chain is already the largest private provider of physical therapy and has the largest public-private partnership with hospitals to support patients with obesity, cancer, and heart conditions. “We’re also the largest network for heat and cold therapy, and we offer the widest range of pre- and postnatal care.” In short, Jims has long since ceased to be merely a ‘value for money’ fitness center.

Definitely synergy

“The advantage for the group is that we appeal to a very broad target audience. Those who work out at Jims incorporate that into their diet and lifestyle. There’s a lot of synergy.” This provides a clear response to the frequently heard criticism regarding the lack of synergy between Jims and the group’s supermarket operations. “As the Colruyt Group, we can be a bit stubborn at times, but if you look at what we’re launching now, it’s definitely an answer to those doubts. We see the opportunity, and we’re building on it in a sustainable way. We’re doing it step by step, but what we do, we do well.”